How to learn songs on guitar (don't do THIS) ★ Acoustic Tuesday 308

Cut the gimmicks and tricks - it's time to sit down and LEARN.
On this episode of Acoustic Tuesday, I'm unveiling the secrets to learning a new song swiftly and effectively. Grab your guitars and notebooks because you won't want to miss this one!
In this episode, I'm breaking down the process into two fundamental parts to prevent you from feeling swamped or overwhelmed. Remember, understanding and mastering a song doesn't have to be a strenuous endeavor. Let's dive right into it!
Part 1: Mastering the Essential Skills
I'm going to walk you through breaking a song into five vital skills that are your stepping stones to mastering any tune:
Technique: Breaking a song down into its essential techniques helps focus on the essentials. If you can't do what the song requires, dial it back and practice specific techniques.
Licks: These are moments of flourish or melodic expression that add style and memorability to any song. Isolating these moments and solely focusing on them during a playing session can help allocate your time.
Improvising: Explore the art of personalizing the song, making it uniquely yours, and getting more comfortable expressing yourself.
Rhythm: It's the heartbeat of the song, and I'll share tips on how to nail it every time.
Chord Transitions: We’ll go through smooth transitions to ensure a melodious flow throughout.
📖 Part 2: Understanding the Context
In the second half of our episode, I underscore the importance of learning the context of a song.
Trust me, it's a game-changer. Imbibing the history and the essence of the song not only enriches your rendition but also fuels your passion to honor the song and its roots. We'll travel back in time to discover the stories behind the tunes, fostering a deeper connection and inspiration as you play.
By the end of this episode, you'll find that learning a new song is no longer a daunting task, but a joyous journey of discovery and mastery.
Featured in this episode...
-David Flammang Guitars
-‪@MichaelKennedyGuitars‬
-‪@CameronKnowler‬
-Jake Eddy
#acousticguitar
00:00 - Intro
03:16 - Big Bill Broonzy's "Hey Hey"
04:15 - Best Way to Break a Song Down
10:11 - Soloing on New Songs?
16:09 - Learn at THIS level (most don't!)
18:06 - This Guitar Maker Drops Jaws
24:18 - CRAZY Truss Rod Design
28:12 - TAC Guitar Lick Challenge
33:33 - Acoustic Guitar News

[@vls3771]

Back before the internet .... It was tougher than now many acoustic players used altered tunings and capoed ...trying to work out songs not knowing that was hard ....its easy now.. .

[@sawekziokowski7114]

When i started to learn guitar like 10 yrs ago, I've fallen in love with Natalie Merchants songs, and until this day I'm playing every now and then her song "Motherland". I felt a kinship with this song, as it reflected my turmoils in life, feeling lost, trying to find my place on earth, the things I love, and breaking out of helplessness and taking control of my life. Thank you.

[@TommySG1]

10,000 Maniacs has a good handful of fantastic songs, I like them too. Too bad they stopped recording and playing together.

[@timesurfingalien]

I did not set out to learn songs. I wanted to learn the guitar. Learning songs is just part of it. The music theory is what intrigued me most. But I picked up the guitar to keep my arthritis at bay. Keep my fingers busy. I must say tho. I am learning songs now, but learning theory first has helped me.

[@jed1166]

Nice! Good info… As a singer / often solo performer, I learn songs I can perform them onstage. So, I start with chord phrasing that makes sense, (tuned down D to D), then capo to find the key that best fits my vocals. Once I have the key, I work on putting the rhythm and vocals together. Once they sound good, I will change chord phrasing, so that I don’t need a capo,(hopefully). Final thing is putting the licks together with the rhythm and vocals. Super fun journey!

[@Dave-gf3kd]

I like the concept of the breakdown. I do something similar, but will now look at what I do through this context. Good video, thanks!

[@johnheiserman7746]

Tony, I’m a huge fan of your acoustic Tuesday show. And just watched your announcement for your plans ahead. Very excited to see the new content you will be putting out on KZbin. I wanted to share a quick story how I started playing guitar. I was 12 years old sitting at the kitchen table working on my math homework, and I heard my dad playing guitar downstairs. I hate math. And I figured if I ask my dad for Guitar Lesson he’d be so excited that I’m showing interest in guitar that I would get out of my math homework. Lol! I got out of my math homework and I also found one of my favorite things to do in life as well as my career.

[@MichaelKennedyGuitars]

Thanks so much for the kind words about my guitars! Great meeting and chatting with you at the Summit and looking forward to our paths crossing again down the line!

[@texhaines9957]

Tony, the guitar Lindsay is playing has a top wood of Lutz Spruce pronounced "Loot-s". The namer's daughter-in-law is a broadcast reporter in Billings.

[@leovicious6992]

never joined up I am a poor, yet watching your chan helped me tons! gonna miis ya!

[@jack_konte]

Great show today. I always learn something and find inspiration in your content. Thank you.

[@BGHandmadeGuitars]

Hey Hey is such a classic and unique riff. It's got that solid rhythm and very bluesy feel to it.

[@gregweber3387]

I've been back playing guitar for a year now and have been doing TAC each morning since March. The part I find the most challenging Tony is the chord transition. I get it and I enjoy doing them in your Friday challenges; but I haven't really developed my own transitions very well in other songs I'm working on myself yet. I've been enjoying working on the song "Ain't No Sunshine" this week on TAC.

[@bruce1779]

One of your best and most inspirational. Thank you.

[@miked.pickering550]

I’m new to your lessons and am beginning to discover the 5 Essential Skills. I thought to myself about each of the 5 and was somewhat coming up with a definition. However, your explaining them in Broonzy’s “Hey, Hey” was immensely helpful. Thanks a million.

[@dominikprauseguitar]

I am currently working on "Rich Men North Of Richmond", "Wonderwall", a fingerstyle version of "In my Life", "Stand by Me" (by Oasis) and "90 some Chevy" and on the list is actually "Hey hey" and by Robert Johson "Malted Milk". My approach would be completely different: I would just hammer the song into me, first slowly and with 100% correct rhythm and execution and then going faster. If I don´t understand or don´t know a strumming pattern and the time signature e.g. wonderwall is strummed in 16ths, I research it, write it down and practice that in slow-mo. I learned wonderwall in around 3 hours, because I never played 16th strumming before, For Rich Men North of Richmond I am developing a solo and my own strumming/picking patterns and I am currently dissassembling it, in order to know what im doing and putting it together perfectly. ... Well and so on and so forth

[@mrsniper1349]

I’m working on Sunday Morning Coming Down. I am a complete newb. I have no clue what I was doing, but can’t wait to get home and break it down. I will update on my progress.

[@814Taylor]

Great break down and the John Fahey song The Last Steam Engine Train is one my favorites and never heard it before until your Acoustic Letter reviews.

[@geoffarnold8723]

Great advice.

[@davidflammang7739]

Thank you Tony. It was an honor to meet you.

[@stevelankford7087]

Thanks Tony

[@kelly2558]

My biggest challenge - as a guitarist/vocalist - is learning/ memorizing lyrics. It takes me forever. It’s a cognitive challenge and so far practise isn’t making me any better at it.

[@dominikprauseguitar]

This kind of learning is essentially missing out on one center piece of learning: Turning off the autopilot and knowing what to do and when to do it. Then - in a controlled setting you can learn slowly - you will advance much faster in the end. Because you know what you are doing. First thing here would be to know the rhythm of blues and learning to clap it and stomp the foot to that. If you have that you can progress to the song and try to do mentioned techniques or the specific song itself in a slower pace (less bpm) but correct time signature and rhythm. And then you can go faster. Rhythm is exactly looking at the time signature and the values of the notes or chords (fourths, eigths, sixteenths) and then deciding how to count and knowing when to do what (strumming up/down, picking, palm muting etc.).

[@billallen1594]

You’re right. And being able to tap in time (or even hum in time) means you have a head start to whatever song you’re learning

[@EBlonk]

Thank you, that was a fast way to learn a cool song. Wow, And I am kinda new at fingerpicking. Thanks again. I am going to dig in to "true love will find you in the end (not original, but lovely done by Jerry Fish) this way, to surprise my wife on our anniversary

[@TommySG1]

Hey Tony, A fantastic song I’ve been working on here is written by The Alman Brothers Band, Blue Sky. It’s in the key of E like so many of their riffs and songs. The solo is very long with Dickie Bett’s and Dwain Almond alternating and playing off each other. The rhythm isn’t very hard aside from a few quick transitions but oh so powerful. It’s certainly one of my favorite songs with a Major Pentatonic style riff based. This would definitely be a cool one for you to teach TAC Tony 🤙

[@philabernathy1868]

Song I have been working on, "Believe" by Books and Dunn.

[@sharontiano1348]

FIrst,.. I really loved the weeks lesson on TAC. Such a great way to learn a song. Most of it I was able to grasp pretty quickly but there are some challenging components that I will have to spend some time on. So fun,. And gotta say, I know what you mean about Flammang Guitars. One smacked me in the face too and I am the lucky one who did get to buy it. It's a P30 - a Parlor guitar with a huge sound. Even since I got it, I can't put it down. So excited to hear it as it continues to open up. David and Jenny are indeed wonderful people and these guitars should be in everyones guitarsenal

[@robertjohnson9832]

Thanks for explaining your process. It clears up some things. I had not put the sequence all together. I will try to use this. I don't know if it is intentional, but in the first play through, your dark line tatoo on your right arm lines up withe the dark rim of your guitar. Coincidence? I think not.

[@texhaines9957]

Song: 1st Country Grammy in 1975 by Elvis Presley: "How Great Thou Art" became all these Memory Care folks will sing it AND it's helping bring a friend's speech back.

[@billallen1594]

Hey Tony, that was a great episode. And timely, as I’ve been staring at the Hey Hey tab thinking where on earth do I begin 😂 Sounds like sensible/logical advice and will give the process a try. The song I want to learn is Sunflower River Blues by Fahey. It feels like a journey- there’s a real sense of waves and momentum/progression. Lost a friend who taught me guitar when I started learning it so it means something to me. It’s a bit like a snake. You think you have a grasp of it but then it’s gone… The tuning and the notes are actually straightforward. Turning it into a song feels like climbing a mountain in sandals. Thanks again Side note - dominik’s comment yesterday is worth a read. If you can’t tap it with your foot or hum the song you’re trying to play then you are lost before you start

[@kickhisassseabass318]

Yes yes yes... thanks 👍💚👍

[@tratko3150]

Tony: I'm working on From the Beginning by ELP. It means a lot to me as I started listening to it when a sophomore in HS when it came out. I'd like to see a breakdown.

[@stillwateracoustic]

agreed - I listen to several versions of a song - and then make it my own. I find this way more interesting and "doable" than try to learn everything note for note

[@NexusDL12]

JP is awesome. I wonder how many guitars he owns? Great video Tony, your the best!

[@helenandrichard]

I always say to my students - ''make the song your own'' . it's always worked so far.

[@yourcelebrant]

Changed everything by Austin Burke. I've taken a crack at it, but the rhythm escapes me. I think anyone who's been in a relationship can relate to the song. The sentiment is easily understood.

[@MrResomaker]

Jorma Kaukonen is a big Flammang player. The guy knows his way around a guitar a bit. Nice to see the 'little' guys getting some rec.

[@captainkangaroo4301]

Been loving Jorma’s playing for 55 years. Seen him many times.

[@CGlover113]

I want to learn Baltimore blues no 1 by Deer tick! Why? Because I love it, it seems attainable and it’ll make my daughter smile

[@gillyOO7]

idk why Riffstation is no longer available that lets you play along with a song with cords but I use it to get cords of a song down but still have to write them down with Lyrics in order to learn the song. Also a song tends to have a lot of instruments playing at the same time and sometimes its hard to get all the guitar parts in detail without a you tube explaination of it by someone who knows it well.

[@jasper_north]

JP is great- You missed step1; separate the thumb from the hand imho- I still think BOUCHER is nmbr1 and we all know it. What is miss is the fact that 98% out there can play cool and fast but only 2% can sing. What good is playing well without being able to sing in key. It’s like a BLT sandwich without the BLT. AND to answer your question: best song out there is VAMPIRES by Jason Isbell. Has all the ingredients and I think we all know it but avoid the song since only a few here know how to alternate the bass. You know it very well. I get your message. Please teach the beginners the importance of that. It’s the key to 98% of all songs. Huge fan. My $0.02

[@sugarmamaboy]

And learning the lyrics of a song : throw away that piece of paper (or your ereader) as soon as possible !😃

[@senditffh7919]

There's a old but new version of Conway Twitty's I'd love to lay you down the new version is by Barrett baber. I'd like to see a video on how to play it. Thanks

[@dhpbear2]

The next step, after you've learned a few favorite songs, is to *learn how to learn* ANY song! :)

[@kingsart274]

Sir make tutorial in marcin carmen habanera please next video ❤

[@kingsart274]

What discuss

[@jeffcollins1172]

What is the Fretboard Summit?

[@MrNeily39]

Nice advice, Tony. However, as an Englishman and - it has to be said - a language geek, is there any way you could avoid the word 'journey'? It's become a very well-worn cliché by now - a bit like 'thinking outside the box' (? - I never thought INSIDE a box!) or 'blue sky thinking' (as you can imagine, there's not really a large amount of blue sky in the area of England where I live!). I am sure there are alternatives to the above word! Still, I do enjoy your videos - even, at 70, having learned many songs by now!

[@silviomanuelabelar]

What guitar is that?

[@GaveMeGrace1]

Thank you-two years ago I couldn’t make an up down stroke following a down up stroke (as in D D DU UD D D rhythm pattern) in order to play Revelation Song, arguably my favorite worship song to honor Jesus with. Now that I’m getting it so that I can sing with it, your teaching inspires me to figure out & learn the lead lines, licks, and riffs, so that I can fill those in during my at home praise & worship sessions. Thanks again.

[@mikewilliams607]

Here comes the Sun..... would be my choice of songs to learn.... The Beatles have meant a lot to me over my years growing up..much less the impact they have had on so many musicians.

[@clseairsppt]

Check out J-Tek guitars in Lewisburg Pennsylvania

[@mikeelliott2736]

Surely it's only a song if it has lyrics?

[@christophertidwell1396]

Slightly different than Eric Clapton cover. Not sure which I prefer

[@EveyoneCallsMeTheDude]

Thirteen..